The Washington Evening/Sunday Star -- Front Pages from April and May
One of the things students placed in the box was a variety of newspaper front pages from the weeks before the encapsulation. They do not represent all of April and May, but are instead, 24 selected pages from that period.
A quick look at the headlines will show you a couple of notable things. First, things have changed considerably since 1966. Second, things may not have changed enough.
Our President was Lyndon Johnson and Maryland's Governor was J. M. Tawes. Most headlines were about America's involvement in a foreign war, (in this case Viet Nam). Interestingly, reported protests against the war were all happening in Viet Nam. The most shocking of these were the self immolating protests by the Buddhist Monks and nuns.
Marion Barry was making his political presence felt as Chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, while at the same time riots were breaking out at Glen Echo Park. As the Cherry trees bloomed a group of men from Mississippi set up tents in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, to bring attention to the hardships and economic needs in that state.
Here are a few of the other stories covered;
An American Hydrogen bomb was lost at sea, but recovered without incident.
A three thousand pound whale swam up the James River to recover from gunshot wounds and lacerations.
The Federal Government mandated that Northern Virginia had to start using Daylight Savings Time along with the rest of the Washington area. Legislation was signed to make DST a national standard the starting the following year.
A rash of UFOs were sighted in the area and dismissed as hallucinations. This was news until a group of giant sea turtles began swimming up the Eastern Seaboard.
On April 24th Jet Service to National Airport was inaugurated.
Iowa Representative H. R. Gross blasted the Johnson White House for holding an "Opera Ball" in the National Museum of History and Technology during which Bill Moyers danced the "Frug" and the "Watusi".
A report was issued predicting that one day computers might become sophisticated enough to predict election results.
The Hirshhorn Museum was approved as a museum for modern art.
The Gemini 9 launch was okayed, worried over, and finally scrubbed because the satellite that it was to rendezvous with had gone off course.
Researchers reported that tests using LSD to cure alcoholism looked promising.
An oboe player was given federal permission to use Bald Eagle feathers to clean her oboe, as long as they were molted feathers she found on the ground.
Below are six front pages. They are dated April 7, 12, 18, 24, as well as May 17, and 31.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
